Wednesday, December 23, 2015

A trip to the doctor

There was a time in my adult life when I struggled to take my daily dose of cod liver oil. If you have ever tasted cod liver oil, then you understand. But then I got sick and had to start taking all manner of fetid, foul-tasting medicine on a daily basis, and my tolerance for disgusting medicine skyrocketed. These days, downing gross stuff is easy peasy. I don't mean to brag or anything, but I have become a cod liver oil-drinking MACHINE. Your mom would be proud.

Yesterday, during my doctor's appointment, Dr. N. suggested I try a different type of cod liver oil. Fermented cod liver oil, he said. Apparently, it's the best because it's made with a low-temperature fermentation process that preserves some of the fish's fatty acids and forms a vitamin A that none of the other fish oils have. He sold me on it, and I picked up a nice, big, spendy bottle of it.

Last night, after I'd taken my evening round of medications, I squirted a teaspoon of the oil into a cup and downed it. And sweet mother of Joseph, the smell of that stuff could KILL A GOAT. It literally knocked me to my knees. I sputtered and shuddered and almost couldn't keep it down, but I did. And oh have mercy, this oil is the "Mexican Food" of medicine. It sticks with you, if you catch my drift. I don't know if my gag reflex is going to let me take this stuff everyday for the next several months. I may have finally met a medicinal match that can take.me.down.

If I am unable to take this stuff, then I will ship it to Gollum. It seems like the sort of thing he'd love.
Although, as I knelt in the kitchen and willed the oil to go all the way
down my esophagus last night, I wondered if fish oil fermentation is
the process wherein Gollum finds a rotten fish, chews it up, swallows
it, throws it up because it's so gross, and leaves it to rot some more
before a scientist comes, bottles it, and sells it to suckers like me.
So on second thought, I may not be able to pawn this stuff off on him after all...

Cod liver oil aside, I'll add another protocol to my existing medical protocols soon. The doctor found a couple of new pieces to the puzzle yesterday. First, he discovered another virus called the Cytomegalovirus (CMV) lurking in my body. He said it's a particularly nasty virus that can be virtually indistinguishable from EBV — the virus we know has been wreaking havoc in my body all these years. It's likely that the viruses have both been attacking my insides all this time.

Because these viruses splice into a person's DNA (it's called "interpolating"), they mate with you for life. The goal is to keep them dormant, lest they keep you in bed for life. In order to try to get them under control, I'll start anti-viral treatment after Christmas. It will make me much sicker than I currently am, so I'll prepare my body for treatment by clearing my detox pathways with a couple of other medications before beginning anti-viral treatment. We know I have a genetic defect that inhibits my body's ability to detox, so my body needs help detoxing dead critters. Clearing detox pathways will make it easier for dead critters to leave my body.

These detoxing medications will likely make me sicker than I am, too, so I'll also wait until after Christmas to begin clearing my detox pathways. One of the detoxing agents has the potential to make me very sick, depending on whether or not I have a genetic abnormality affecting something called "sulfation pathways." The doctor said I'll know three days into taking it if I have the genetic abnormality. If I do, I'll get very sick. This is a little scary, so I'd love your prayers. And of course, I'd love prayer as I begin the anti-viral treatment in the next week or two. I'm hoping my body is strong enough that it can rebound from the sickness it causes.

Here's another thing: the full moon is this Christmas. It can make me so sick, but gosh I'd love to be healthy enough to up and mentally present with my family. I'd love prayer for this!

My most recent lab work revealed a number of other things. Most notably, an inflammation marker called TGF-beta 1 is super high. Dr. N. said he often sees those numbers in lyme patients, but he acknowledged there could be other pathogens causing that kind of inflammation. So the uncertainty about lyme continues. Perhaps getting these viruses under control will strengthen my body enough that I can move ahead with another lyme test. That's something else to pray about.

And finally: I asked the doctor about my vagus nerve and he said vagus nerve dysfunction is really common in patients like me. He said there's really nothing I can take to directly rehabilitate my vagus nerve, but I can work to rehabilitate it with diet, gargling, and singing opera. This is not a joke. It is a real thing, and I am taking it VERY seriously.

3 comments:

Oh, Sarah! I have taken fermented CLO by Green Pastures, and I could not tolerate it! I wanted to be able to tolerate it. I tried the cinnamon tingle flavor. It had a little syringe that you filled and squirted in your mouth. It made me so nauseous to the point of vomiting. Ick! No, bueno. Once you have a vomiting episode, well, you know, game over. My husband was a champ, and he took it so we didn't waste it. It made him shiver with every dose, but never nauseous, and he finished the bottle. After that, we went back to our good ol' Carsons Lightly Lemon CLO--our entire family takes it without any issues, including our 2 daughters. I hope you are able to tolerate the fermented because I know it is more nourishing for your body. I've heard the full moon can cause parasites to be more active, which in turn can make people feel sicker. Is that what happens with you? You sure did get a lot of news today. I will be praying for you as you start your detox protocol and that your body will be strong and sickness minimal and that God would allow your body to rest. When do you return to work? Will the worst of the detox be over by then? Blessings,Sharon

Hehe, I'll be sure to tell my brother that when he arrives to find me lathered in apple cider vinegar and fish oil. ;) I'll give them your love, Suzie, and we're sending love back to you and yours! Thank you for your prayers. They're my favorite Christmas gift!

Thanks for stopping by! I'm Sarah. I’m an English professor and graduate student living in sunny southern California. This blog is where I search for evidence of God’s goodness in the hard stuff, share my victories as I heal from chronic invisible illness, and tell stories about the easy-to-miss moments of grace in my day-to-day. Won't you stay awhile?